Former COVID-19 patient paints gifts for nurses

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) An 80-year-old Native American patient survived COVID-19 and returned to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital with a gift to thank the staff that helped her.

“I’m going to hang on my wall as soon as I get home and this is going to be a reminder to me of you know that I've touched someone's life,” said Alexa Angels.

The artist Mary Garza Chavez is part of the Chumash Native American Tribe. Garza painted more than fifty crosses and each cross has a different painting on it tailored to every nurse.

“The fact that she felt like I was the person, a part of the team, that help her get better, just makes me feel special,” said Ramon Vega-Vazquez.

Mary Garza Chavez arrived at Salinas Valley Memorial back in November after feeling covid related symptoms. Chavez said she was able to witness patients who died, being taken away.

“They were all covered up. I said to the nurse, when is it going to be my time? She said, Mary, she grabbed my hand, she said, Mary, you're not, you're going to go home," said Garza.

During her time at the hospital, it was important for her to get to know the nurses after seeing all the work they did to treat patients like her. One of them was Arnie Garcia who said he had a long conversation with Mary about family, including his father who had passed away.

"When she handed this to me she said remember we talked about your father, I did this to honor your father," said Garcia. "It's something that I cannot explain but it means a lot to me."

Chavez hopes these paintings will be a reminder of their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Doctors and nurses didn't expect a virus like this to come around," she said. "All these people are dying, left and right, you know. But I'm here, I survived it.”

The nurses also said the real gift is seeing Mary come full-circle from fighting the virus in a hospital bed to now returning strong and healthy.